Fender for orchard-cultivators.



Nu. 650,08l. Patented May 22, I900.

' W. P. MURPHY.

FENDER FUR ORCHARD GULTIVATORS.

(Application filed May 17, 1899.)

(la Model.)

. VENTOR *ZTTORNEKS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM P. MURPHY, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

FENDER FOR O RCHARD-CULTIVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 650,081, dated May 22, 1900.

7 Application filed May 17, 1899. Serial No. 717.211. (No model.)

To all wltom zit may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P, MURPHY, a citizen of the United States, residing at San J os, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented certain new'and useful Improvements in Fenders for Orchard- Oultivators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of said invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it most nearly appertains to make, use, and practice the same.

This invention relates to improvements in cultivators, and more particularly to orchardcultivator-s.

In the drawings, Figure l is an enlarged detail View in elevation of the invention as applied to the side beam of a cultivator. 2.is a plan view of a fender as applied to a cultivator of the type preferred for orchardwork. I Fig. 3 is an end elevation showing the invention in its preferred form.

The object which the present invention has in view is to provide a fender which will prevent the side of the cultivator structure coming in contact with the plants of the orchard to remove the bark therefrom or bruise the plants.

With this object in view the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the parts herein shown and described whereby a continuous belt or surface is suitably mounted upon the side or sides of the cultivator-frame in such manner that when the belt orsurface is brought in contact with the plants that portion in contact with the plants will remain stationary, the belt moving about the antifriction devices, with the effect that the cultivator is pushed to one sideuntil it clears the plant without abrasion of the bark of the plant.

It further consists in the construction and arrangement of the fender and parts thereof so that the same may be produced as an attachment to cultivators as at present constructed.

To facilitate the description of the present invention with reference to the drawings, we will use the letter A to designate the frame of the cultivator, which in the construction shown in the drawings is provided with two Fig..

parallel beams extending transversely to the line of draft of the implement and provided with the short side beams A A.

The frame of the cultivator may be constructed in any desired manner, that shown in the drawings being intended to represent one of the preferred forms of frames of a cultivator at present used in orchards. It is .uponthe side beams A that the fenders are placed.

As shown in the drawings, the fender is constructed to be used as an attachment to an existing frame. In this form of the invention it consists in thearm B, which is bent to form the journals B B, which are set back, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, to receive the rollers B These rollers are provided with the flanges B between which operates the belt 0, which is continuous in form and extends over both rollers B 13*, as shown in the drawings, particularly at Fig. 2. The arm Bis so constructed that the main portion extending between the rollers rests lightly against the back of the belt 0 when in its flexed condition and forms a sliding surface for the belt when the same is operating as a fender. Below the journals B are formed the attachinglugs B B at either end of the arm B.

In the present illustrations the invention is shown as constructed to be applied .to a

wooden construction which will permit the introduction of the bolts B as the fastening devices for securing the lugs B and the arm B to the cultivator-frame. It will be understood, however, that this construction may be variously changed to suit the purpose of applying the invention to various forms of metal constructions. The length of the arm Bis by preference sufficient to extend the rollers or drums B beyond the ends of the side beams A of the cultivator-frame. This may be altered without avoiding the spirit of the invention, as would be illustrated more particularly in the use of the invention upon the extending ends of cultivator-frames of what is known as the V-shape construction. In such a construction there might exist no necessity for protecting the entire side beam of the cultiva tor-frame. Also there has been herein described the preferred construc- .tion embodying the present invention, wherewooden constructions this might be accomplished by extending the rollers'B beyond" the ends of the beam and on a level therewith, or the construction might be changed by slottingthe ends-of. the side beams to-receive and form bearings for the rollersB All these constructions would be within the plant., The inner surface may be formed-of leather, metal belting,-or canvas, all of which .will readily slide. upon the arm B, against which'the inner surface of the belt rests-duringthe operationof the invention asa-fende'r.

When constructed as described and applied iitfo the side beam-s. of the cultivatorfram'e, the operation of the invention is as follbwst The greatest liability to thebarking of itre'es' exists at thetime when in cultivating an orchard having'arrived at theendiof a; row of trees and-when making the [turn aboutthe same the cultivator isapt to be-thrown against the tree about which it is being turned; When this happens with cultivatorsnot provided with this invention, it is evidenttha't the-'barkof the tree is bruised or abraded. With cultivators provided with this invention, however, the contactof-t-he tree isrec'eived uponthe belt 0; the frictionsurfacether'eof adhering to the bark, while the frictionless inner surface of the same slides upon the arm B of the fender. This produces the efiect of shoving theculti'vator to "one side while the same is drawn around andlpastthe tree without bruising'or abraiding the bark of the tree.

W'hile the invention has been described as being adapted toand forming a part of cultivat'ors; it will be understood that it may be atta c-hed toand form a partof most agriculturalimplements which-may be used in orchardf'cultivation, and it is applied tothe partof the structure thereof which is liable to be drawn against the sidesof the trees or plants.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed is 1. The combination with a cultivator or the like, of .a .continuous belt supportedupon said cultivator and' having a portion extending 'upon the outer side of the implement, whereby when said extending portion of the belt is engaged by another object it is adapted to move; substantially as described.

2. The combination with'a cultivator or the like, of members rotatably supported thereon, and a continuous belt supported upon and "between said rotatable members and extending upon the outer side of the implement;

substantially as described.

3. In a fender for eultivators and like implements, a" frame adapted to be attached'to the structure of the implement; rotatable members mounted in the ends of" thesaid frame; acontinuous belt supported upon and extending between the said rotatable mem= -bers;' and suitable fastening devices,bymeans ofwhich thesaid frame is attached tothe structure of the implement, substantially as 5. In a fender for cultivators andlike'im l plements, in combination with a framead'apt' ed tobe secured to the structure of-"tlieimplement and toextend beyond the surface thereof and having in the ends thereof journalsl to receive rollers; rollers mounted 11143116, said journals; and a continuous beltsupported upon and extending between the-said rollers and extending beyond the outer sur-' face of the structure of the implement, said belt-being provided on the outer surface-with a frictiomsurface to engage the objects with which itcomesin contact, substantially as described. I

In testimony whereof- Ihave hereunto set my hand this 19th day of April, 1899';

' WILLIAM P. MU RPHY. Witnesses:

W. G. KENNEDY,

I'IIRAM A. BLANoHAnD. 

